


Black Curtains

by chronicAngel



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Gen, Lyle was sad, POV Third Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-13
Updated: 2017-04-13
Packaged: 2018-10-18 00:07:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10605156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chronicAngel/pseuds/chronicAngel
Summary: There's something about seeing his face burned out on the family tree that keeps him going.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Moon River (caffeinewentz)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/caffeinewentz/gifts).



He barely knows what's happening around him when he runs to save Harry, unsure if the pounding in his head is due to the blood rushing in his ears or the familiar, warm pressure of magic in the air. He feels like something loosens in his gut as he launches a hex at Bellatrix, not even certain of the words coming out of his own mouth in a desperate attempt to save James-- no, not James, _Harry._ He is lost in the blur of a fight that was long awaited; while he doesn't put much thought into what he is doing, Bellatrix seems to be completely random, shouting out whatever spell comes to her mind without actually thinking about the effect it will have on her opponent, and it makes it extremely difficult to fight his cousin. He shudders when he remembers she's his cousin, and it saves him by the skin of his teeth from her latest attack.

His eyes are drawn to the fluttering of the black curtains behind him, and he involuntarily swallows the air in his dry mouth as he remembers what is on the other side of it, what is being risked in this fight. But his eyes flash to his godson, staring at him with wide eyes as he feels a stinging pain in his cheek, directly over his cheekbone; lifting his free hand to his skin, gripping his wand tighter, he feels a familiar wetness against his fingers that he identifies as blood. Bellatrix does not care how badly she has to wound him if it means she wins for Him. Bellatrix does not care that they are family or that she might seriously hurt someone, she just wants to win. If that is her sentiment, he thinks, then perhaps he should begin thinking the same way.

Sirius dives away from the green light flashing toward him, all of the breath leaving his body as he lands on his knees, and his eyes go wide as he lifts his head to see the curse fade into nothingness. Hesitantly, he pushes himself up, and again they start firing spells at each other, but he notices with nausea stirring in the pit of his stomach that hers are getting more and more deadly (after the killing curse, he isn't surprised) and he can only barely keep up.

The nausea flares and he almost becomes sick as he sees his cousin, not paying attention as she cackles with glee at his torment and continues her attempts at murdering him, fall backward into the curtain, disappearing in only a second.

Slowly, his teammates-- his _friends_ \-- pick away at the enemies, faces he recognizes and faces he doesn't, and all he can do is sit there uselessly, staring at where Bellatrix was standing just a few moments ago and where she isn't now. Eventually, he comes to his senses as Remus places a hand on his shoulder, muttering something that he can't pull himself out of his entranced state enough to hear what he is actually saying. He stumbles to his feet and smiles at Harry despite the fact that it almost hurts to do so, but he doesn't seem to understand what is going on either and it hurts Sirius much more.

They are hauled off by aurors, with the exception, he notes dully, of Voldemort, who somehow managed to get away, but that is not who he is concerned about right now as he scans the faces of their allies to make sure they didn't lose anyone. His heart drops into his stomach as he notes that everyone is there except Harry, and he immediately begins to panic; Remus must notice this, because he points to the boy silently, unconscious between two shelves and behind a large, golden statue that makes Sirius wonder what happened in here between the three of them. He thinks, staring at the boy who looks more like James than ever with his eyes closed, that he would prefer not to know the answer to that because it would probably just be worse than the mystery, having confirmation that something terrible happened while he was in another room moping. Crouching down, he scoops up the boy and holds him in his arms, joining the rest of the group to leave the place before something worse starts up.

* * *

Harry doesn't wake up for nearly two days, and they are at his childhood home instead of Hogwarts when he does (with Dumbledore's permission). Sirius doesn't answer any of his questions (and there are a number of them) when he wakes up, he doesn't say anything, in fact, clutching him to his chest in the tightest hug he has delivered to anything that wasn't a corpse. He runs his fingers through the boy's messy black hair, sighing shakily. He dismisses Harry's questions, which have grown in number, telling him that he's at 12 Grimauld Place and he's safe, and that they didn't catch Voldemort, but they will soon and he doesn't need to worry about that right now. They sit there for a long time, hugging tightly before Sirius finally tells Harry what's going on, why he is hugging him. Harry mutters that he's just glad he's alive.


End file.
